Tapping sleeves are used to enable or permit branch connections to be made to fluid carrying (i.e. water main for distribution) pipes and pipelines. Current tapping sleeve designs typically employ branch sealing (aperture) gasket bead geometries of constant height cross sections, and locate the aperture seal immediately adjacent to the branch transition. However, existing tapping sleeve and gasket assemblies have a limited range of the minimum to maximum pipe diameter on which a given sleeve effectively seals to the fluid carrying pipe.